07 October 2009

What is Patriotic Music?

Watching Ken Burns Jazz and something occurs to me...

People should feel as patriotic when they hear In The Mood or Sing Sing Sing or 1 O'Clock Jump or Swingin at the Savoy or Mood Indigo as they do when they hear America the Beautiful or even the National Anthem.

Those songs are truly American, without force or contrivance, and grew from a uniquely American idea and environment. Just brilliance and exploration of what you can do with music that really only could have happened in the melting pot of America in the early 20th Century.